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Amtrak reform council should be liquidated

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It would work because it is the model for every other transportation system in the US. Airlines pay a 'toll' to use airports and pay through tax on their fuel as well. So, too, trucks pay a wieght mile tax for the priviledge of road use, plus liscencing, plue gas tax on deisel fuel to pay for maintenance. Ships pay to use dock that are publicly funded. This system of government owned and maintained infastructure and private operations on top can and does work, every day. If there is any reason it doesn't it's because politics gets in the way. As for Amtrak, the main reason freight roads couldn't make money on passenger service was twofold. One, other modes like highways and air, both using government infrastructure, were makin the competitive feild too tight- fly in four hours, or take two days to get from coast to Chigcago, which do you think will win? No contest, rail can't do it, so it became the Greyhound of the rails with Amtrak. (Automat cars, need I say more?) The second reason passenger rail didn't work was the ICC. Political decisions on who or where gets service, and not profitability, ruled. Now you might say, if it were all determined by profit only, then passenger rail would've died a long time ago. And you're right. But to say you can't make a profit is not true- even in ICC era 1960s, the Bulrington was profitable on it's passenger trains, but only after the infrastructure costs were removed from the accounting. So it can be done. But whether it will be, given that Congress and government and politica have more to do with all this than common sense railroaders, is very unclear.
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